Established organizations refer to those which respond, in a disaster context, with their regular personnel engaged in familiar tasks. A theoretical framework is presented viewing such organizations pre-disaster operations as constituting a situation where their capabilities exceed the demands made on them. From this conceptualization, certain hypotheses are derived indicating conditions of organizational stress. Operational problems of established organizations in a disaster context are discussed as well as forms of differential adaptation, problems of mobilization and types of interorganizational relationships. Based on observations of DRC in a varity of disaster situations, it was concluded that established organizations normally minimized stress and could function with a high degree of effectiveness. On the otherhand, the reluctance of such organizations to accept new tasks and additional manpower would force other within a community to assume these obligations in a widespread disaster event.